Adventureland: It’s Just Not the Same

A vast, open cornfield sitting on the outskirts of Des Moines wasn’t home to much. It was bare for miles with no signs of life in sight. What it did house was Jack Krantz’s dream: To open a family-friendly amusement park to be enjoyed for decades. His vision continued to grow, and eventually escalated into Adventureland Park. Since its opening in 1974, the park has expanded to host over one-hundred unique rides and attractions, and has become a staple for citizens of Central Iowa.

Like with anything, time has taken its toll on Adventureland. It has deeply evolved throughout its fifty years of existence. Many who grew up in the 80s and 90s viewed Adventureland as a Midwestern Disneyland.

“Going to Adventureland was one of the highlights of the entire year for my family,” said Melissa Nolte, a 43 year old who grew up in Des Moines. “We could only afford to go once a year and we would spend the entire day from open to close riding rides and enjoying shows.”

This wasn’t a unique experience for Melissa; hundreds of thousands of people had similar upbringings. A trip to Adventureland, less than fifteen minutes outside of town, was treated like a family vacation. 

At the time, the park showcased many immersive, free shows including dolphins, high divers, a televised game show filmed straight from the park, and a circus. In addition were the rides, 3 state of the art roller coasters and many familiar carnival rides. Adventureland flourished because of its unique experiences. It was the source of millions of happy memories, leaving indents on the lives of so many.

“Adventureland was a common bond between everyone. We all enjoyed it together,” said Sophomore Ella Dilks, a former season pass holder. 

During the recent summers, Dilks had spent a very large portion of her break at Adventureland. She sometimes found herself attending the park multiple times a week. When her fourteenth birthday arrived, Dilks found Adventureland a fitting place to apply for her first job. 

“The benefits and the nostalgia were what got me to work there,” said Dilks.

 Now being employed, the amount of time she spent inside the park began to steadily increase. This is when the cracks in Adventureland’s foundation really began to show.

The paint has begun to chip. With every ride of the Tornado, the clacking becomes louder and the track wobbles more. Favorite childhood rides are silently removed overnight without warning. Sites for free shows are converted into gift shops with overpriced merchandise. The previously clean environment became overwhelmed with graffiti, trash, and crumbs. 

Krantz’s dream is crumbling.

Jack Krantz passed away in 2006, leaving the park to his family, who would eventually pass ownership to a company known as Palace Entertainment. The new owners have made improvements both safety wise and visually, attempting to upkeep the park’s environment. Yet, they are forgetting one of the most important elements of an iconic, local spot: nostalgia.

Now that the park is ever changing, it’s hard for the younger generation of children  visiting the park to get a specific version of the place in their minds and latch onto it. Every time they walk into Adventureland, something has changed. All of the original personality has been washed away and modernized. 

“I haven’t been to Adventureland for years but I remember it so well. My favorite part was playing Skee-Ball. The machines are so old but I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” said Nolte.

Earlier this year, over half of the classic Skee-Ball machines were removed from the park.

One of the most memorable pieces of scenery is what guests were greeted with when they first entered the park. It was a small main street reminiscent of the 1950’s, taking inspiration from Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Now, the buildings have been coated over with bright, saturated paint and most of the vintage replica attractions have been replaced with modern era gift shops.  

The ice cream parlor is the only remaining opening day attraction. 50 years of history are contained by its walls. 

Change is inevitable with time, but the preservation of what is lost to time is up to human effort, and human effort alone. This is what the new owners are failing at. Instead of displaying what was loved and cherished by thousands of people, they leave pieces of their history to rot outside. There are many things in the park that weren’t even photographed before they were removed, leaving their existence to be completely forgotten by those who didn’t experience them first-hand.

 The foundation of Krantz’s passion still remains, simply covered up with layers of paint and dust. 

“Nostalgia can be very powerful for us because we remember how much better it used to be, so we use that to picture how much better it still can be,” Dilks said.